[attr="class","diana"]"Not at all. I had guessed that since we were in a public area, I should refer to you amicably. Though, if I'm trading secrets with you, I suppose we're not to fear about affiliation. My apologies," Diana replied, keeping her voice calm and level as she finally met his gaze.

Sharp, cold, calculating. Like he could cut her down without lifting a finger. And perhaps he could.

"I'm quite aware."

Remiel Calcifet, though a traitor to Rocket, was proving himself to be an asset to the League. That, Diana could at least garner for herself from her recovery bed.

"Straight to the point. Alright. It appears that he's spending less time with the League's amnesty program these days. Whether or not their pushing for him to go into higher ranks, I'm unsure, but I feel that could be the case. He is ZEKROM'S master, after all. Much of his free time in spent in archeological digs as well. I've noticed he's gone to the Museum of Natural History more and more often."

Her fingers stroked the fur of his UMBREON, offering her a scratch beneath her chin.

"Rocket must have done something terribly offensive to him. He's not happy with you."

[attr="class","dianatag"]jayden cross | recruitment: act ii

[attr="class","diana"]Diana's brows furrowed, clearly confused. While he was right, her experience with such phenomena was as limited as her battle prowess, if not more so. And, if he was teaching her how to not get "smushed," what happened if they both failed at the task?

She supposed she had to give him a chance.

"I'm familiar with it. I don't know how well I'd be able to explain it to you." Diana paused before she considered his statement again.

"Do you mean that I'll be fighting a dynamaxed Pokemon at original size? Are you sure that's a smart idea right now, Mr. Slayte..."

She looked back at the expanse of desert before making a decision. If he was determined to teach her, Diana had to be a willing student. And, it appeared Howard understood she either was going to be restricted to not dynamaxing or didn't have a dynamax band.

The latter would be the case.

"Alright. Where do we begin?"

[attr="class","dianatag"]howard slayte | dynamax demo

[attr="class","diana"]While Diana had requested extra training in battle due to the heightened tension growing day by day in Hoenn, she did not expect to be escorted via helicopter to the desert with howard slayte as her teacher. She'd battled him before, when they'd examined the tera shards in Area Zero with her WALKING WAKE. And she was met with the same disappointment she had the first time she met REGICE.

Though, instead of regarding the admin with indifference, there was a bit of worry in her chest as she watched him leap from the short drop to the sand. He looked far from ready being out and about, especially in a climate like this and engaging in Pokemon battle.

Diana's shoes met the sand, sinking into the granules slightly before she stabilized herself. "I've traveled longer distances. I'm fine," she replied, shielding her face from flying sand as the helicopter's blades slowed its whirring.

"I'm more concerned about you."

Her scarred legs, slowly healing from the events of the penitentiary, were covered by long pants, yet sand still bit at her skin. She hissed from its stinging sensation, opting to move away from their transport and further toward the desert depths.

[attr="class","dianatag"]howard slayte | dynamax demo

[attr="class","diana"]It had been a period of time since the events of the prison. While only a few days had passed in the cells beneath the cold gaze of the strange, toxic Pokemon, bits of trauma still remained. Shoveling sickeningly sweet mochi into her face, finding herself faced with her greatest desires in the CHAMBER OF DESIRES, and the stifling mask clinging to her face.

Some nights, Diana would find herself waking up gasping for air, with her hand at her throat as if the toxic chain was still pulling her to the jail cell. She'd wonder if the her experience was all a dream.

Though the scars on her legs were proof enough that the prison escape had happened. It had taken a long time for them to heal to the point they were now, beginning to lose their pink color and fade away into her skin tone. The doctor had said that the healing from the NIHILEGO attack was delayed due to the influx of poison she'd endured in the prison.

"Ugly. You're ugly. That's why FEZANDIPITI picked you. And now it has left its mark on you. Ugly. Ugly!"

Diana paused her needlepoint, breathing deeply through her nose and out her mouth as she peered forward. The haunting jeers of her fellow prisoners echoed in her mind, leading her to pull the blanket she had over her legs tighter over her. The less she could see them, the more she could try to ignore it.

Then there was something else she could not ignore: Remiel Calcifet. Though they lived together, they had not had time to discuss the events of the penitentiary or the rising tension in Hoenn. Diana was healing, and he was a busy man. He represented the League, as ZEKROM'S avatar, and he worked dutifully to separate himself from whatever had happened before she arrived. Yet, there was tension between them as well.

"I've already lost somebody I loved to the MEGALOPOLANS. I won't lose you, too."

She sighed, peering almost sadly at her needlepoint incomplete in her lap. "Remiel? Do you mind brewing a pot of tea?" she asked, raising the fabric up to inspect it. "Not good enough. I may have to restart this pattern..."

[attr="class","dianatag"]Remiel Calcifet | post prismatic penitentiary

[attr="class","diana"]His voice shouldn't have startled her as much as it did. But, Diana had found herself engaged in the garden, seeming to relax for once. The walls she found herself building to protect her from Rocket and the League rose again as she turned her head, spotting the head of a white hair she'd come to anxiously dread meeting.

"It's a rather lovely day, don't you think?" she addressed, leaning back against the bench and crossing her legs. "The garden is well taken care of. And the Pokemon here seem happy."

Though, with his UMBREON peering up at her with a sweet gaze, Diana felt herself smile despite the pitting fear in her stomach.

"It has been a while, Jayden. I hope things have treated you fairly?"

[attr="class","dianatag"]jayden cross | recruitment: act ii

[attr="class","diana"]Diana gave him a look over her shoulder, partially appalled that he'd clear the SPORES out of the way, and annoyed that he was interfering with her plan. The wind sent the drowsy cells away, sparing the FLYGON and allowing it to fly further.

"Well, I didn't exactly participate in battles in Galar. I'm going on instinct here," she reminded him.

She did have some Pokemon battle training, but only the basics back home. Her other tasks were etiquette and how to become a queen. Diana had been forced to learn political roles and how to negotiate, all sorts of boring topics that the queen, Remiel's mother, did when it was her time to take the throne.

So her time in the battle ring? It was far from exemplary.

She recalled the SHIINOTIC, instead drawing out her TINKATON who could resist a dragon attack or two. She'd just have to avoid any ground attacks. "Alright. Since AZUMARILL has distracted the other, let's send that one on a chase too."

[attr="class","dianatag"]Remiel Calcifet | the year beasts

[attr="class","diana"]Diana remained silent, though her mouth went dry and her pulse began to pound loudly in her skull once he made some sort of confession to her. She had assumed that once he'd left Galar — left her — whatever teenage romance they had had disappeared.

Or that it never existed to begin with.

But that Remiel Calcifet felt the same way she had felt those years ago... she didn't know what to say. Until she spoke again.

"What we did that night... do you think that I was capitalizing on that?" Diana looked away, a feeling of guilt and shame building in her gut. It would make sense to her, why he had been adamant it was a mistake and wanted to forget about it.

Though how could she ignore it when he'd just told her how he felt?

"Remiel. You're not going to lose me. We're still us. Diana and Remy. Just... a bit older." She sighed, reaching for his hand gently. "I'm sorry. For causing a scene and being upset with you. I wanted you to be honest and stop avoiding me. Whatever you want to do, I'm okay with. Let's just give it some time, okay?"

[attr="class","dianatag"]Remiel Calcifet | sunset selfie

[attr="class","diana"]Diana nearly rolled her eyes at him, following regardless of his attempts to hush her. She crouched down, peaking around the other side of the tractor as he began to point out a detail she hadn't noticed.

"What's important about it?" she asked, glancing at him. Though the revelation was fascinating.

"Leave it to you to know everything about dragons..." She wouldn't have imagined that these FLYGON were feeding to ensure the healthy birth of their young.

The sound of clattering made her jump, causing Diana to cover her mouth with her hand. Peering behind her, Remiel Calcifet's GOLETT stood at the well. Well, there went being quiet.

"Now you tell me?" She reached for a ball of her own, releasing her AZUMARILL. "Draw their attention to you. Come back when you've gotten them out of the area!"

Delphin hobbled off, dragging the attention of one of the FLYGONS away from GOLETT. She released SHIINOTIC next. "Use spore! Make sure we can get GOLETT out of there!"

Nyx complied, using her SPORES to target the FLYGON heading in the direction to Remiel's Pokemon.

[attr="class","dianatag"]Remiel Calcifet | the year beasts

[attr="class","diana"]Yellow PINAP BERRIES caught her attention, vibrant from the distance. But that didn't hold Diana's gaze for long, as three FLYGONS joined the ARBOLIVA in its GRASSY TERRAIN.

"Remiel, this is our chance!" she hissed, standing and reaching for her Poke ball.

However, when her blue gaze met his face, there was the light of realization behind his eyes. Her brows furrowed, her hand lowering slowly from her side.

"What do you mean, you're walking over? They may try to attack- Remiel, wait!"

Diana huffed, yet she followed her friend regardless.

[attr="class","dianatag"]Remiel Calcifet | the year beasts

[attr="class","diana"]Diana made a mental note of that, but she was aware of such things the moment she landed on shore to Hoenn. She recalled the moment that she met jayden cross and the threatening aura he gave off when she had questioned him.

She had no doubt that if she slipped up, she'd die.

"I'll be well aware of that. It looks like the next shift is coming in. I'm sure I'll see you around, Bryan?"

[attr="class","dianatag"]bryan delarosa | protect the dyna tree

[attr="class","diana"]Diana couldn't help a pang of guilt strike her to her core, and she desperately hoped that it didn't reflect on her face. With the art of lying she'd inevitably learned upon arriving to Hoenn's shores, surely someone so calculated and knowing, even so much as Duncan Calcifet, wouldn't be able to tell that her friend had struck a nerve.

Yes, she'd escaped. But what did he mean? By the throws of an arranged marriage that was potentially never to be happy? Or escaped from Galar and its tyranny?

Well, Diana had escaped from the queen.

Check.

"I came for help," Diana corrected Duncan, choosing to attempt to lead him down the path of lies she'd led everyone else, including herself. "Though I fail to see how we can receive help if even Elise Calcifet has settled down in Hoenn. It's as if Galar has been abandoned by their royalty," she said.

How blasphemous of her, despite not being of royal blood. Saying such things to Duncan when he was related to Remiel Calcifet and their cousin by blood could end with her head on a platter back to Galar. Yet, she knew that he wouldn't do such things.

"I apologize. I'm merely frustrated."

Diana's gaze dropped back to the grass, plucking several strands as he spoke again. "And the second?"

[attr="class","dianatag"]Duncan Calcifet | intrepid sword

[attr="class","diana"]Diana's teeth were clenched, her jaw set in a straight line, as she walked out of the restaurant and down the street they had previously strolled along. She didn't know whether she wanted to scream or cry — perhaps both.

Though, she wondered if she was being unreasonable. She knew that Remiel Calcifet cared about her. It was that she figured he'd look at her differently and not as a piece of glass teetering on the edge, or a baby bird close to the edge of the nest.

But Diana was glass, and she was that baby bird. One wrong moment, and she was sure to shatter.

"I'll apologize to him later. I just need some time..." she muttered to herself, running a hand across her forehead to tame the ever growing headache. Though static discharge sparked beside her, and then a hand on her shoulder pulled her back.

"Get away from-" It took Diana a moment to realize that it was Remiel, not someone from Galar, not a Rocket personnel. She let out a sigh, relaxing only slightly.

"I'm waiting."

She wouldn't apologize immediately or cave into her feelings.

[attr="class","dianatag"]Remiel Calcifet | sunset selfie